Cryptococcosis primary prevention

It is recommended that patients with CD4 counts ≤ 100 cells/μl should have routine cryptococcal antigen screenings and patients with a positive result should be offered preemptive anti-fungal therapy.

• Take the lowest doses of corticosteroid medications possible.
• Practice safe sex to reduce the risk of getting HIV and other infections associated with a weakened immune system.
• Cryptococcal meningitis commonly affects patients with a CD4 count of ≤ 100 cells/μl. It is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in HIV positive individuals. It is recommended that patients with CD4 counts ≤ 100 cells/μl should have routine cryptococcal antigen screenings. Patients with a positive result should be offered preemptive anti-fungal therapy.^[1][2]
• One strategy to prevent cryptococcal meningitis deaths is to treat all HIV/AIDS patients with a CD4 <100 with low-dose fluconazole 200 mg daily. This has shown to decrease the number of cryptococcal infections, but has not consistently decreased rates of death from cryptococcal disease.^[3]